The Battle Tower Chronicles
by ShadowedTactician
Summary: Ash goes to Olivine City. Ash sees the Battle Tower. Ash gets interested. 'Nuff said. R&R, no flames, I have a Feraligatr. And BTW, I do not own Pokemon. *Chapter 3 is up as well, R&R please.*
1. Laura's Little League

Ash goes to Olivine City. Ash sees the Battle Tower. Ash gets interested. Enough said.  
  
The Battle Tower Chronicles  
  
Part 1 - Laura's Little League  
  
"Says here that the Battle Tower was recently constructed a few months ago," Brock quoted the brochure he had just picked up. "The Battle Tower is a place where trainers from all over the world get together and battle each other. Attractive prizes are given to the winners. Hmmm," he muttered, "sounds like the Indigo Plateau."  
  
"Well, we're not gonna let a chance like that slip from our hands! Right Pikachu?" Ash yelled. "Pika!" His partner responded, as usual.  
  
"Don't overdo it, Ash," Misty reminded. "You know Gary's not going to miss such an opportunity to you know, and he's -" Misty stopped halfway when she saw the expression on Ash's face, and decided not to continue her sentence.  
  
"Erm, Ash, I think we'd better get down to the Battle Tower before it closes! Right?" Brock interrupted, trying to change the subject.  
  
"Sure, Ash, I think we'd better leave," Misty dragged Ash in the direction of the huge, gleaming Tower, with Ash still seething angrily.  
  
*** "So you want to sign up for the Battle Tower League Competition?" The lady at the counter asked. Ash nodded. Misty had dragged away Brock by the ear (again) before he embarrassed himself.  
  
"Alright, please select three of your Pokemon."  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"You're only allowed to use three Pokemon in each battle, but you may heal them or switch them during battle." the lady informed.  
  
Ash sank into deep thought. His team currently consisted of Bayleef, Quilava, Croconaw, Noctowl, Phanpy and Pikachu. He pondered over the problem and soon came to a decision.  
  
"I will be using Bayleef, Noctowl and Pikachu."  
  
"Okay, please pass over your remaining Pokemon." Ash handed over the three Pokeballs that contained Quilava, Croconaw and Phanpy. "Please step this way." The lady brought him to an elevator and both of them stepped right in. Ash's stomach lurched as the elevator began to ascend. Finally, it came to a stop. Ash and the lady walked out on to a huge arena.  
  
TING! The elevator on the other side of the arena rang.  
  
"Ah, that will be your opponent for this round."  
  
Out of the elevator walked another lady, and -  
  
"Laura!" Ash exclaimed. "It's been so long since I last saw you!"  
  
"Hi Ash!" Laura returned his greeting and smiled back at him. "Are you ready to battle with me?"  
  
"Sure! I'm ready for whatever you pitch at me!"  
  
"You may begin anytime you want," said the two information ladies before they went down in their two separate elevators. Out from another door walked out a referee holding a flag in each hand, one green and one red.  
  
"Noctowl, go!" Ash threw his Pokeball onto the floor. The white light that emerged from it soon materialised into a huge owl with brown triangles on its chest and orange wings.  
  
"All right, Sandslash, go!" From Laura's Pokeball emerged what looked like a brown hedgehog with super-sharp spikes. "Sand!" it said.  
  
"A Sandslash," Ash muttered. He had encountered one of these creatures before, and he knew about the Flying-against-Ground type advantage. But he still was unsure. After all, his Pidgeotto had been thrashed by A.J.'s Sandshrew once.  
  
"Sandslash, use Tackle!" The brown Pokemon obeyed her command by curling into a huge spiky ball, lunging itself at Ash's Noctowl.  
  
"Noctowl, dodge it!" The owl responded by quickly flying away, avoiding the attack. "Try Wing Attack!"  
  
"Defense Curl!" The Sandslash curled up again in a round spiky ball. "Now use your Rollout!" Sandslash began to spin around and around the arena. Noctowl's Wing Attack harmlessly hit the arena floor.  
  
"Try to focus on your aim!" Ash shouted. Noctowl tried and tried, but it just kept missing. "I know! Noctowl, use your Psychic!"  
  
Noctowl's eyes starting glowing a mysterious, dangerous blue. So did Laura's Sandslash. Then, Sandslash stopped dead in its tracks. Under Noctowl's control, Sandslash was lifted up into the air; then it crashed down again.  
  
"Sandslash!"  
  
"Noctowl, finish it with Quick Attack!" Noctowl braced itself; then fired itself at Sandslash at top speed.  
  
"Sandslash, try a Poison Sting!" Although Laura's Sandslash was greatly weakened, it still had some health left. It leaped up a few feet, spun itself like a ball, and sharp needles flew at Noctowl. "Faint Attack, now!" Ash shouted. Noctowl's body soon vanished into the atmosphere. Sandslash stopped, not knowing what to do. Suddenly, Sandslash flew a few feet away from where it stood, for Noctowl's Faint Attack had struck.  
  
"Sandslash is unable to battle. Victory to Noctowl!" The referee held up the red flag in Ash's direction. Ash whooped for joy, while Noctowl circled the air a few times.  
  
"Sandslash, return!" Sandslash was caught by the red light and was transferred back into the Pokeball. Laura picked off another Pokeball from her waist and threw it. "Dodrio, go!" From the white light that came out from the Pokeball materialised the familiar three-headed bird.  
  
"A Dodrio, eh?" Ash mused. "Well, you can't get my Noctowl, not when Dodrio can't fly!"  
  
"That's what you think!" Laura yelled.  
  
"Noctowl! Use Wing Attack!"  
  
"Agility, now!" Dodrio obeyed her command by running around in circles. Noctowl's attack pummelled the floor.  
  
"Noctowl, try to use your Psychic again!" Noctowl tried, but Dodrio just ran faster. Noctowl's eyes couldn't focus on Dodrio long enough to control it. "We need to change our strategy, Noctowl! Try a Razor Wind!" Ash shouted. Noctowl slowly began to flap its wings. Pretty soon, Ash knew, Noctowl would have conjured up a powerful whirlwind that could blow Dodrio out of the arena.  
  
"Dodrio! Stop Agility, and use Leer!" The huge bird screeched to a halt. All three heads began to focus on Noctowl. Suddenly, Noctowl stopped flapping. Its face was twisted in shock. Dodrio's Leer had worked, and Noctowl's attack had stopped completely.  
  
"Tri Attack, now!" Dodrio opened its three beaks. In each beak formed a strange beam of light: one red, one blue, one yellow. Suddenly, the beams fired at Noctowl: one of fire, one of ice and one of lightning.  
  
"Noctowl! Dodge the beams!" Noctowl frantically tried to fly away, but to no avail. All three beams hit Noctowl head-on, and Noctowl crashed to the ground. The referee raised the green flag.  
  
"Noctowl is unable to battle! Victory goes to Dodrio!"  
  
"Yippee! You won, Dodrio!" Dodrio crowed in response to Laura's happiness.  
  
"Return, Noctowl!" Ash withdrew Noctowl and began to think. "Pikachu's strong against Dodrio, but I'd better save it up for the last." "Bayleef, go!" Out of the Pokeball came out a dinosaur-like creature with leaves around its neck and a leaf atop its head.  
  
"A Bayleef? Ash must have trained hard to use a Grass-type against Dodrio." Laura thought. "Dodrio! Tackle it!"  
  
"Bayleef, Tackle it back!"  
  
The two Pokemon broke into a run. They charged at each other, eyes gleaming ferociously. SLAM! Dodrio was knocked off its feet. Bayleef proved to be much stronger than Dodrio. "Dodrio! Get up and use a Skull Bash attack!" Laura commanded.  
  
Dodrio stood up on its feet and started charging at Bayleef. Faster, faster, faster.  
  
"Bayleef! Just stand there and wait!"  
  
"What? Bayleef's going to be whacked if it doesn't get out of the way. Ash must have a new strategy." Laura pondered. She was right. Just a few metres distance between Bayleef and Dodrio -  
  
"Light Screen, now!"  
  
BANG! Bayleef had suddenly created a mysterious barrier between itself and Dodrio, which Dodrio crashed into. "Bayleef! Body Slam!" The Grass-type Pokemon leapt up into the air, landing down on Dodrio with fatal impact. "Dodrio is unable to battle. Victory goes to Bayleef!"  
  
Ash braced himself. He couldn't let his guard down now. Laura was sure to have reserved her best for last, and he had a feeling he knew what it was -  
  
"Rapidash!" Laura shouted as a huge stallion with a mane and tail of fire emerged, complete with horn. "Fire Spin, now!"  
  
"Bayleef! Try to dodge the attacks!" Bayleef valiantly responded, dashing here and there, avoiding the powerful burning twisters that Rapidash fired. However, this was wearing it out.  
  
"Bayleef can't keep up. I'll have to switch Pokemon. It's time for desperate decisions." Ash muttered. "Bayleef! Try a Take Down!" The Pokemon charged at Rapidash.  
  
"Rapidash, Fire Spin!" A powerful tornado of flame was leashed at Bayleef, but it just kept charging right through the fire.  
  
"Bayleef! No!"  
  
Suddenly, Bayleef emerged from the fire, but badly singed. It charged at Rapidash madly, knocking it over. Laura opened her eyes.  
  
"Omigosh."  
  
Rapidash had been tackled quite badly, but still had at least three- quarters of its health left. Bayleef, however, was not at all in good shape. It had lost a lot of its health, had a very bad burn factor and the last attack it launched at Rapidash had taken out its remaining energy.  
  
"Bayleef can longer continue to battle. Victory to Rapidash!" proclaimed the referee.  
  
"Bayleef, return." Ash solemnly withdrew the worn-out Pokemon. "You were great."  
  
"Pika!" Pikachu growled at the stallion of fire. It was up and ready.  
  
"Pikachu! Let's start off with a bout of Agility!"  
  
"Don't be fooled, Rapidash! You use Agility too!"  
  
The two Pokemon began to chase each other. Faster and faster. Faster and faster. Faster and faster.  
  
"Pikachu! Thundershock!" Responding to Ash's command, Pikachu launched a lightning bolt at Rapidash, shocking it.  
  
"Rapidash! Don't give up! Use a Fissure attack!"  
  
Rapidash lifted its hoof. A split second later, it sent its hoof crashing forcefully onto the arena. A crevice appeared, heading for Pikachu.  
  
"Pikachu! Jump!"  
  
Pikachu leaped into the air, avoiding the attack. It flew directly over Rapidash.  
  
"Rapidash! Flame Wheel!"  
  
The horse reared its head. It shot out a burning wheel of fire from its mouth. It was about to hit Pikachu.  
  
"Pikachu! Use a Light Screen!"  
  
Using its powers, Pikachu made a barrier similar to the one Bayleef created earlier. POW! The barrier collided with Rapidash's Flame Wheel, cancelling the attack. Pikachu dropped onto Rapidash.  
  
"Oh no!" gasped Laura. She knew what was to come next.  
  
"Thunder!"  
  
Lightning flew everywhere as the intrepid electric rodent launched its devastating attack. Rapidash was, literally, shocked to the core. It closed its eyes as it collapsed on the cold, hard floor.  
  
"Rapidash!"  
  
"Rapidash is unable to continue battling. Victory goes to Pikachu! The winner of this battle is Ash Ketchum!"  
  
"Yay! Whoopee! We won, buddy!" Ash cheered. "Pika!" Pikachu nodded happily.  
  
"That was a brilliant match, Ash." Laura congratulated him. "You really are a powerful trainer."  
  
"Aw, shucks, Laura." "By the way," Laura's voice suddenly reduced to a whisper. "Can you keep a secret?"  
  
"Sure, what's up?"  
  
"Okay." Laura placed her mouth near Ash's ear.  
  
"Dario. me. uh huh. last year. yes. *giggle*"  
  
Ash was shocked and surprised. "You and Dario are WHAT?!"  
  
"He's not such a bad guy once you get to know him." Laura smiled sheepishly and blushed. "How was I to get a Dodrio anyway? Oh yeah, don't forget to keep this a secret."  
  
"Don't worry, Laura." Ash winked at her and gave her a thumbs-up. "Your secret is safe with me and Pikachu. See you around."  
  
"Bye, Ash!" Ash and Pikachu turned and walked towards the elevator.  
  
END  
  
Okay, so that was my first combat fic. R&R, no flames, I have a Feraligatr. Yes, I know this sucks. I think. Enough said.  
  
-- Umbreon 


	2. Mateo's Metal Machine

Thanks for the reviews, everybody, and this episode's opponent will be much harder than Laura was. Who is he/she? You'll just have to read on.  
  
P.S. Funny no one mentioned anything about me pairing Laura and Dario together.  
  
The Battle Tower Chronicles  
  
Part 2 - Mateo's Metal Machine  
  
"Hi Ash!" Misty greeted him as Ash and Pikachu entered the lounge. "The Battle Tower provides lodging for those who are in the middle of fighting their string of battles, so we needn't stay at the Pokemon Center! How did the battle go?"  
  
"Great!" Ash beamed. "We won our first match in the Battle Tower, and it was against Laura!"  
  
"Laura?" Misty gasped. "From the Laramie clan?"  
  
Ash nodded. "And you'll never believe what she told me... OUCH!" Pikachu had given him a powerful Thundershock and a hard, cold stare. Misty sweatdropped as the smouldering body in front her groaned in pain.  
  
"I suppose that means you won't be telling me."  
  
*** The next day, Ash was reared up and ready for the next challenger. He had left Bayleef, Noctowl and surprisingly, Pikachu back downstairs to give them a rest. He stepped out of the elevator onto another arena. This arena wasn't like the stadium one he fought in the day before; this arena had a rocky terrain, similar to the one he had fought Brock on. As Ash was looking around, the other trainer emerged from the other elevator.  
  
"Mateo!" Ash recognised the glass sculptor from Sunburst Island. Thanks to him, and Tracey's Marill of course, he had managed to get a glimpse of the rare and beautiful Crystal Onix.  
  
Mateo silently smiled back at Ash. "I've left my sister in charge of the stall back home, but between us we've made quite a lot."  
  
"Glad to hear that!"  
  
Their conversation was interrupted by the referee, who gave them another refreshing of the rules (groan).  
  
"Let the battle begin!"  
  
"Cloyster, go!" Mateo threw his first Pokeball on the floor. The white light materialised into the familiar bivalve Pokemon with spikes all over its incredibly tough shell.  
  
"I choose you, Croconaw!" Ash sent out Croconaw, a ferocious alligator Pokemon with an equally ferocious jaw. It was definitely nothing like its previous stage, Totodile.  
  
"Croco!" "Cloyster!" The two Pokemon exchanged furious glances. Neither was going to let his trainer down.  
  
"Water Gun!" The two trainers simultaneously shouted. The two Pokemon reared and fired powerful jets of water at each other. The two jets collided in the middle of the arena, and for a while the two Pokemon were equally matched.  
  
"Croconaw, stop!" The alligator Pokemon stopped shooting water. Cloyster's water jet barely missed it, smashing into a nearby rock, disintegrating it.  
  
"Use a Rock Slide, Croconaw!" Croconaw tensed. Suddenly, the ground around it started to crack. Rocks flew out of the ground and hurtled at Cloyster.  
  
"Cloyster, use a Water Gun!" Cloyster obeyed Mateo's command by firing jets of water at each flying rock. It had a very good aim, and cleanly smashed each rock into smithereens.  
  
"Croconaw! Try Scary Face!" Croconaw suddenly loomed up to Cloyster, trying to scare it out of its wits.  
  
"Withdraw!" shouted Mateo. Cloyster closed its huge shell, avoiding the scary sight. "Try Aurora Beam!" Cloyster opened up again, firing shots of ice at Croconaw. Croconaw easily dodged the beams, which hit the surrounding rocks, turning them into little mountains.  
  
"Croconaw, use Double Kick!" Ash knew that Cloyster was a combination Water and Ice Pokemon, and he knew that Ice Pokemon were weak against Fighting attacks such as Double Kick. Croconaw jumped up and almost hit Cloyster, when -  
  
"Counter!" Cloyster started to glow a mysterious blue. Croconaw's attack hit itself, and it fell back in pain, while Cloyster was unharmed. Ash bunched his fists. "Don't give up now, Croconaw! Leer attack, now!"  
  
Croconaw shot a death glare at Cloyster. The bivalve Pokemon stood, shocked.  
  
"Now! Use a Dynamicpunch!"  
  
Croconaw's left fist started to glow bright green. Suddenly, it charged at Cloyster with fatal impact. Cloyster, which was still under Croconaw's Leer, was rooted to the spot. POW! The Dynamicpunch sent Cloyster flying, colliding into the nearest rock. "Cloyster!" Mateo shouted. His Pokemon was defeated, and was seeing stars.  
  
"Cloyster is unable to battle. Victory goes to Croconaw!" Croconaw joined Ash in a little victory dance. It hadn't lost its touch at dancing despite the fact it had evolved from Totodile. Mateo withdrew his Cloyster. "Take a rest, Cloyster. You fought well," he whispered. "Charmeleon, go!"  
  
Out of Mateo's second Pokeball emerged an angry-looking lizard, with razor- sharp horns and horn, complete with fiery tail.  
  
"Charmeleon! Flamethrower!"  
  
"Croconaw! Water Gun!"  
  
The two reptilian Pokemon fired at each other. Despite Croconaw's type advantage, Charmeleon's powerful fire soon reduced the water to steam.  
  
"I need a change of strategy here," muttered Ash grimly. "Croconaw, use Bite attack!"  
  
Croconaw lunged itself at Charmeleon and bit into its leg. The fire lizard cried in pain.  
  
"Charmeleon! Counter with Slash!"  
  
"Croconaw! You use your Slash attack, too!"  
  
The two Pokemon looked angrily at each other and exchanged vicious slashes. "Charmeleon, Rage!"  
  
Charmeleon suddenly leaped into the air. The flame on its tail suddenly grew bigger, and Charmeleon looked a lot angrier. "Char!" It blew out a huge fireball at Croconaw, barely missing it.  
  
"Charmeleon! Finish it with Thunderpunch!" Ash gasped. Mateo had taught Charmeleon an electric attack to combat Water-type Pokemon!  
  
"Croconaw! Try your Rock Slide a-" Ash's sentence was unfinished as Charmeleon's fist hit Croconaw, sending surges of electricity through Croconaw's body and lightning flying everywhere.  
  
"Oh... gosh..."  
  
Croconaw was lying limply on the ground. Charmeleon held its head up high in victory. "Croconaw is unable to battle. Victory goes to Charmeleon!"  
  
Ash withdrew Croconaw. He began to ponder over the next Pokemon he sent out. "Quilava is strong, but I'd better save him for later."  
  
"Phanpy, I choose you!" The white light from Ash's Pokeball changed into a small blue elephant, with red patches on its nose and four little legs.  
  
"A Phanpy? This should be easy." Mateo smiled.  
  
"Don't be so sure!" yelled Ash. "Phanpy, Earthquake!" "Phan!" The little elephant lifted its trunk; then thrust it at the ground. A huge crack appeared, and the arena shook.  
  
"Charmeleon! Dodge it!" Charmeleon valiantly obeyed and leaped up into the air. The crevice passed harmlessly underneath. Charmeleon jumped from rock to rock, about to lunge at Phanpy, when Ash shouted, "Use Rollout, Phanpy!"  
  
Phanpy began to roll into a ball. Suddenly, it thrust itself at Charmeleon, knocking it down. "Charmeleon! Use Flamethrower!" shouted Mateo.  
  
Once again, Charmeleon reared its head and fired another jet of fire at Phanpy. Phanpy simply spun the fire off its body. "Tackle it, Phanpy!"  
  
Phanpy lunged at Charmeleon, tackling it down. Charmeleon fell into the crevice. "Charmeleon!" cried Mateo.  
  
Minutes later, Charmeleon weakly clambered out. It looked a sorry sight with scratches everywhere, and the flame on its tail was almost out. It collapsed onto the hard, rocky floor.  
  
"Charmeleon is unable to battle! Victory goes to... goes to..." The referee stopped in mid-sentence. Phanpy, who was having a victory trumpeting session a few seconds ago, had started to glow a blinding white colour. Ash was very excited. He knew what was to come next.  
  
"Phanpy! You're - evolving!"  
  
The blinding light faded. In Phanpy's place stood an elephant with a grey rugged hide and long white tusks.  
  
"Donphan. The Armour Pokemon." Dexter droned, "Its hard hide provides excellent defence in combat and its tusks can crush metal with great strength."  
  
Meanwhile, Mateo had withdrawn his Charmeleon. "I hope you're ready, Ash, because my last Pokemon is nothing like any Pokemon I trust you've seen before."  
  
"Oh, yeah?" Ash challenged. "My Pokemon can take anything you throw at me."  
  
"Don't be so sure," Mateo smirked as he threw his third Pokeball onto the floor.  
  
The white light soon grew into a pillar of blinding light. It looked tall and menacing. The white light finally changed into -  
  
"A Steelix!" Ash thought. He had faced one of these Pokemon before, in his battle with Jasmine. 30-feet-tall machines of metal, these Pokemon were bad news. But this Steelix seemed to made of -  
  
"Crystal?!" Ash choked. "The Crystal Onix actually followed you and it evolved?"  
  
Mateo nodded. "After you left, the Onix emerged from its cave. It badly seemed in need of a trainer. So it decided to be my Pokemon beside Cloyster and Charmeleon. Now it is among the toughest Pokemon in the Orange Archipelago and won me some badges!" Mateo lifted a piece of cardboard from his pocket. Attached to it were the four Orange Island Gym Badges!  
  
"No one has ever defeated my Crystal Steelix. Maybe you will be the first."  
  
"I hope so!" shouted Ash.  
  
"Steelix! Tackle!" The huge snake of crystal and steel threw itself at Donphan.  
  
"Donphan! Roll away!" Donphan curled into a ball and began to roll, with the Crystal Steelix hot on its trail. Donphan rolled over rocks, and Steelix just crushed them to bits. "Steelix!" Mateo suddenly shouted. "Use a Bind attack!"  
  
Steelix lunged forward, wrapping itself around the rolling Donphan, crushing it with great impact.  
  
"Donphan! Rapid Spin!" The elephant Pokemon began to turn and turn. This was made easy by the round shape it formed, despite Steelix's powerful Bind. It spun faster and faster, and pretty soon it was able to break free of Steelix's Bind.  
  
"Don't give it up, Steelix! Rock Throw!" Steelix began to leap and crush rocks everywhere as it tried to hit Donphan. But it just kept missing. "Donphan!" Ash yelled. "Rollout!"  
  
Donphan began to roll at a dangerously fast speed as it charged towards Steelix. Steelix looked at Donphan contemptuously. Surely a puny little elephant couldn't beat a thirty-foot tower of crystallised metal? Or could it?  
  
WHAM! Steelix was sent flying through the air, but not for a very long height. It soon crashed down again, and boy, was it mad! "Steelix!" Mateo commanded. "Use a Wrap attack, and this time, don't let it go!" Steelix very willingly complied. It began to crush Donphan maliciously with fatally devastating impact.  
  
Suddenly, Donphan started to glow a bright white colour. Ash was startled. Donphan couldn't possibly be evolving again.  
  
Then, he realised what was happening.  
  
"Oh no, Donphan, no..."  
  
KABOOM! Donphan had used an Explosion attack, which knocked itself out, but also took out almost half of Steelix's health.  
  
"Donphan is unable to battle. Victory goes to Steelix!"  
  
Ash grimly withdrew Donphan. "Good thing Donphan managed to weaken that crystal Steelix. And it's also a good thing I saved the best for last!" He threw his last Pokeball on the floor. Out of the Pokeball emerged an oversized rodent with flames on its head and tail. "Quil!" It growled.  
  
"This won't take long," Mateo mused. "Finish it, Steelix!"  
  
The crystal Steelix raised its humongous body. It looked ready to strike.  
  
"Quilava! Flame Wheel!" Quilava breathed out a burning wheel of fire. It hit Steelix, who roared in pain. Burn marks were visible on its metallic, crystal-coated skin, forming the shape of a wheel.  
  
"Steelix, use your Bide attack!" Steelix stood where it was, tensing.  
  
"Quilava, now's your chance! Flamethrower!" Quilava leaped up, shooting jets of fire at Steelix. Because of Steelix's titanic size, it was easy to hit him, and Steelix suffered nasty burns.  
  
Suddenly, Steelix began to move again. Ash knew what would happen: Steelix would unleash powerful energy equivalent to double the damage Quilava had did it. But he knew what to do.  
  
"Quilava, Leer!" Quilava glared at Steelix. Sure enough, Ash's strategy worked again for the second time that battle. Steelix's face was twisted with terror, and the attack was completely cancelled!  
  
"Steelix! What's wrong with you?" shouted Mateo. Steelix could not attack!  
  
"Your Steelix is under Leer attack," replied Ash, "and what's more, it's burned! It can't move, and its attack power has been reduced too!  
  
"Now, Quilava, finish it with Fire Blast!" The Fire Mouse Pokemon reared its head. It blew out an awesome flame forming a Chinese character standing for 'big'.  
  
"Steelix!" Mateo cried. Too late. The Fire Blast hit Steelix, and its body glowed bright red, to orange, to yellow, then to a blinding white. Then, with a huge earthquake, Steelix collapsed onto the battle arena, totally crushing all the surrounding rocks, nearly hitting Quilava, who jumped away just in time.  
  
Mateo was stunned. Steelix's body returned back to its original, shiny, crystal colour, but it had burn marks all over it.  
  
"Steelix is unable to battle! Victory goes to Quilava and its trainer, Ash Ketchum, the winner of this round!"  
  
"You did well, Steelix." Mateo withdrew the groaning iron snake. "Take a good rest now." He turned to face Ash.  
  
"No one has ever beaten my Crystal Steelix before... until now." He smiled. "I accept my defeat. You are truly a brilliant trainer, Ash, but I warn you, I won't lose next time!"  
  
"If there is a next time!" Ash laughed, as he withdrew Quilava, and was starting on his way to the Battle Tower lounge downstairs.  
  
-END-  
  
Done! What do you think? R&R, and specify which chapter you're reviewing.  
  
By the way, I specially taught my Feraligatr dig to handle stubborn electric types... 


	3. Fatally Fierce Fairies

Strange that no one reviewed the second chapter the day I posted it up. Oh well, I'll be writing the 3rd chapter, and it'll be good.  
  
I hope.  
  
The Battle Tower Chronicles  
  
Part 3 - Fatally Fierce Fairies  
  
Ash walked out the elevator onto an arena that looked like the Grass Field he had faced Jeanette in the Indigo Plateau. So far he had two successful battles. His Pokemon had gained training experience from them, he had learned to use some new strategies, and best of all, Phanpy had evolved into Donphan. His train of thought was interrupted by a warm greeting: "Hello, Ash!"  
  
Ash sweatdropped. "Madam Muchmoney?!"  
  
"Yes, Granbull just needed some exercise with its new friends." smiled the full-bodied woman.  
  
"New friends?!" Ash's brain nearly choked on its fluid. "Well, get ready to lose, ma'am!"  
  
"Oh, I'm not so sure about that, Ash." The woman smiled.  
  
"Let the battle begin!" shouted the referee!  
  
"All right, Pikachu, you're up first." "Pika!" nodded his rodent partner.  
  
"Clefable, go!" Out of Madam Muchmoney's Pokeball came out a Pokemon that had looked like a pink doll with spines sticking out of its back, a curly tail that stuck to its back and long, black-tipped ears.  
  
"Pikachu! Quick Attack!" Pikachu broke into a run and charged at Clefable.  
  
"Clefable! Quick Attack right back!" Clefable also began to charge at Pikachu.  
  
Wham! Biff! Smack! The two Pokemon exchanged vicious tackles, but were still equally matched.  
  
"Pikachu! Thunderbolt time!" Ash shouted. He was going to end this quick. "Pika-chu!" Pikachu shot powerful electric shocks at Clefable.  
  
"Clefable! Use YOUR Thunderbolt!" Clefable complied with her trainer's commands as sparks flew from her cheeks. The lightning sparks collided with each other, causing an explosion.  
  
Ash recalled his Pokemon knowledge. He remembered that Pokemon like Clefable were classified as Normal-type Pokemon, and they did not seem to fall under any category. In short, they were among the most mysterious Pokemon, next to Psychic, Ghost and Dark-type Pokemon. Also, these Pokemon could know a wide range of moves.  
  
"Pikachu! Swift!" Pikachu leaped up, and sent a barrage of shooting stars right at Clefable. "Reflect, Clefable!" Clefable immediately conjured up a hemispheric barrier around it. The squalling stars harmlessly smashed onto it, and Clefable was unhurt. "Now show it your Dynamicpunch attack!" Clefable's arm began to glow as it reared its fist, and Clefable fired a punch at Pikachu.  
  
"Light Screen, Pikachu!" Once again, Pikachu conjured up a barrier of light that could block quite a number of attacks. POW! Clefable's fist collided with the barrier, and it squealed in pain. Pikachu laughed at the hilarious sight.  
  
"Clefable! Use Mud Slap!" Clefable jumped up and came down again, spraying sand and mud everywhere. "Pika!" Pikachu cried in pain. The blinding sand scratched its skin, and it could not see to use its attacks.  
  
"Now Clefable, finish it with Mega Punch!" Clefable landed a huge punch onto Pikachu, and took out all its remaining health.  
  
"No! Pikachu!" Ash yelled as his best buddy was beaten on the battlefield.  
  
"Pikachu is unable to battle! Victory goes to Clefable!"  
  
Ash picked up Pikachu and laid him by his side. "So it's a Normal-type fight, eh?" he grimaced. "Good thing I had Professor Oak send me some of my older Pokemon." He threw a Pokeball on the field. "Go, Tauros!"  
  
Tauros was a brown, three-tailed bull with sharp metal-like horns and a strong will to fight. It was also armed with powerful hooves.  
  
"All right Tauros! Wear it down first with a Growl!" Tauros took a deep breath and made a noise that sounded like a hybrid between a moo, a grunt, and a snort. It was deafening and even the referee dropped his flags and put his fingers in his ears.  
  
"Clefable!" Madam Muchmoney shouted above the noise. "Use a Mega Punch on the floor!" Clefable lifted its fist and pummelled the ground hard. "Kerrr- rack!"  
  
"What?!" Clefable's fist was so strong; it created an Earthquake attack even if it didn't know the technique!  
  
"Tauros, Jump Kick!" Tauros leaped into the air, avoiding the crevice, and shot its hooves at Clefable. Whack! The attack had hit Clefable, and took out most of its health, since Clefable was a Normal-type after all.  
  
"Now Tauros, use a Take Down!" Tauros charged at Clefable with incredible force.  
  
"Clefable, Light Screen!" Like Pikachu had done before, Clefable made a barrier of light in front of itself. "I'd like to see your Tauros charge through that barrier!"  
  
"Tauros may be strong enough to smash through the barrier," Ash thought, "but I'm not going to take the risk." He shouted, "Tauros! Jump!" At the last moment, Tauros leaped over the barrier. Clefable was startled and shocked. "Tauros! Body Slam!" The bull Pokemon crashed down upon Clefable, knocking it out.  
  
"Clefable is unable to battle! Victory goes to Tauros!"  
  
"Return, Clefable." Madam Muchmoney returned her Clefable to its Pokeball and chose another Pokemon. "Go, Ursaring!" Released from the Pokeball was a fierce grizzly bear with a yellow circle on its belly and great arm strength. Ash knew these Pokemon were known for their berserk attacks.  
  
"Tauros! Rear up for a Tackle attack!" Tauros began a hoof stampede as it ran towards the huge grizzly bear. Just as Tauros was going to hit Ursaring, Madam Muchmoney shouted, "Use Strength!" Ursaring picked up Tauros, and threw it onto the floor. Luckily, Tauros fell on its hooves and didn't take too much damage.  
  
"Tauros! Use Tail Whip!" Tauros obeyed, and furiously whipped Ursaring with its three tails. Although Ursaring only took a little damage, its Defense was also lowered.  
  
"Horn Attack!" Tauros slammed Ursaring, goring it with its horns. But apart from two gore marks, Ursaring was unscathed.  
  
"Huh?!"  
  
"You know, Ash," smiled the female tycoon, "I have money for a reason. I spent a lot of money on ensuring Ursaring's fur is the best among best, and it's not just for beauty purposes! Now its fur is among the strongest, and your Tauros' Tail Whip didn't lower a lot of its Defense either!  
  
"Now Ursaring, use a Metal Claw!" Ursaring lifted its paws, which emitted a strange blue light. Its claws became hard as steel, and it scratched Tauros quite badly.  
  
"Tauros!" Ash shouted as the bull Pokemon grunted in pain.  
  
"Try an Icy Wind!"  
  
Tauros reared its head. It blew a powerful chilling wind at Ursaring, freezing its fur and slightly cracking it.  
  
"Oh no!"  
  
"I owe that to Pryce." Ash smiled smugly. Ursaring's fur had become brittle, lowering its Defense "Rock Smash!" Tauros launched a hefty kick at Ursaring's knees, and it fell flat on its face in pain.  
  
"Ursaring! Time for a nap! Rest attack!" Ursaring took a huge yawn and started to sleep. It became fully healed.  
  
"Shoot! But Ursaring's sleeping, so it can't attack!"  
  
"Not for long." Madam Muchmoney produced a long yellow object from her pocket. It was a PokeFlute! Ash remembered that the PokeFlute was a magical item that could wake Pokemon from slumber. Sure enough, Ursaring woke up to its trainer's enchanting music before Tauros could attack it. "Fury Cutter, Ursaring!" The grizzly Pokemon began to try and scratch Tauros with its razor sharp claws. But it just kept missing.  
  
Ash recalled his fight with Bugsy, the Azalea Town Gym Leader who was a very smart entomologist for his age. Fury Cutter's attack damage only increased with every successful hit. Tauros only had to tire it out and then move in for the kill. Eventually, Ursaring was sweating and panting.  
  
"Tauros! Horn Drill!" With fatally crushing impact Tauros gored Ursaring. Unlike the earlier Horn Attack, this technique had done a lot of damage to Ursaring. It growled and roared in agony.  
  
"Ursaring, use Flail!" With its low health, Ursaring's Flail technique could take out a lot of Tauros' energy. "Not so fast, Madam!" Ash said. "Now that Ursaring's gone berserk, its accuracy has decreased and you can't control it either! Tauros! Just keep dodging!"  
  
Ash was right. In chasing Tauros, Ursaring not only kept missing it, it also took some damage while thrashing about. "Finish it Tauros! Low Kick!" Like before, Tauros kicked Ursaring in the shin, finally taking it down.  
  
"Ursaring is unable to fight! Victory goes to Tauros!"  
  
"I hope you're ready, Ash," said Madam Muchmoney as she retreated her Ursaring, "Because darling Granbull has gotten a lot stronger since the last time we met."  
  
"Don't worry! I can take whatever your Granbull throws at me!"  
  
"Okay, here goes!" The female multimillionaire threw her last Pokeball onto the floor, releasing a lavender bulldog Pokemon with a humongous lower jaw and ribbons by the ears. "Gran-bull!"  
  
"Granbull, Lick!" Using a long, pink tongue, Granbull licked Tauros' face taking it by surprise, and paralysing it at the same time. "No!" shouted Ash. Once Tauros was paralysed, it was as good as done for, and Ash had no Paralyse Heals with him!  
  
"Granbull, finish it with Present!" This attack, Ash remembered, could either damage the opponent or give it hit points. It was all dependent on luck. Granbull threw a bag-like object at Tauros as if it were a grenade. Then...  
  
"Yes!" Ash jumped for joy. The Present attack had given Tauros some hit points, and gotten rid of its paralysis.  
  
"Zap Cannon, Tauros!" Tauros tensed. Between its two horns it created a ball of lightning, which grew and grew. Finally, it fired the lightning beam at Granbull.  
  
"Granbull! Protect!" Granbull lifted her arms in an "x" position. The Zap Cannon attack suddenly exploded just as it was about to hit Granbull, leaving it unhurt, as if it had hit an invisible barrier. "Skull Bash!" Granbull obeyed, and flew at Tauros with blinding speed, hitting it head on.  
  
"I just love Technical Machines. The things you can do when you have money." Madam Muchmoney smiled. "Mega Kick!"  
  
"I think I'll let Tauros wear Granbull down a bit more before I launch my secret weapon," Ash muttered. He remembered his fight with Chigusa, the Hitmontop trainer who was now a famous dojo mistress.  
  
"Tauros, watch out! It's coming from the left!"  
  
Whoosh!  
  
"The right!"  
  
Whoosh!  
  
"The left again!"  
  
Whoosh!  
  
"Tauros dodged all three!" Madam Muchmoney gasped.  
  
"You're doing great, Tauros! Try Sandstorm!" Tauros began a stampede on the spot, creating dust clouds full of sharp, stinging sand.  
  
"Rain Dance, Granbull!" Granbull roared. Suddenly, it started to rain over the field. The sand got wet and soon turned into mud, with plopped all over the area.  
  
"Granbull, finish it with Thunder!" Ash knew that Tauros was done for. Rain Dance would ensure that Thunder would not miss. He was right. Granbull surged with electric energy and hit Tauros, shocking it to the core. Tauros collapsed; its body full of burns.  
  
"Tauros can no longer continue to battle. Victory goes to Granbull!"  
  
Tauros was returned to his Pokeball. "Have a good rest, Tauros." He threw his last Pokeball onto the field, shouting, "It's all down to you, Snorlax!"  
  
Snorlax was a huge Normal-type Pokemon that looked like a hybrid between a panda and a cat. It was big, and had an even bigger appetite! "Snorl... Snorl..."  
  
"Snorlax, we just need to hang in for this round! Later I'll treat you to dinner!" "Snorl!" Just then, the rain stopped.  
  
"Granbull, Ice Punch!" Granbull's fist began to glow an icy blue aura. It charged at Snorlax.  
  
"Fire Punch, Snorlax!" Snorlax's fist shone a fiery red light. It charged at Granbull.  
  
SMACK! The two fists hit each other, but since Snorlax's Fire Punch attack had the type advantage, Granbull's fist was burned! Also, the force of Snorlax's fist had sent Granbull flying.  
  
"Granbull! Hyper Beam!" Granbull's mouth began to glow brightly as it focused all its energy into a huge beam. Ash was shocked. Hyper Beam was among the most powerful attacks ever known! Suddenly, the white beam flew towards Snorlax.  
  
"No!"  
  
BOOM! The beam hit Snorlax, and smoke was everywhere. Ash closed his eyes. Could Snorlax survive the powerful Hyper Beam? Then, the smoke gradually cleared.  
  
"Oh yeah!"  
  
Snorlax had managed to use its body mass to lessen the effects of Hyper Beam! Other than a huge bruise on its stomach, it was unharmed and it was anything but pleased. It roared in anger.  
  
"Snorlax! Sunny Day!" Snorlax lifted its arms. Suddenly the whole area went bright, blinding Granbull!  
  
"Finish Granbull off, Snorlax! Solarbeam!" Snorlax gathered a beam made of solar power in its hands. The Sunny Day attack speeded up the process. Suddenly, a few seconds later, a powerful beam flew at Granbull.  
  
"No!" Madam Muchmoney screamed.  
  
POW! Granbull was knocked off its feet and well and truly knocked out.  
  
"I suppose this means I win." Ash mused.  
  
"Granbull is unable to battle! Victory goes to Snorlax and its trainer, Ash Ketchum!"  
  
"Yay! You won, Snorlax! I won my third battle!" Ash leaped around in joy. "That was a great battle, Ash," said Madam Muchmoney. "You do put more effort in training than my money can ever do."  
  
"It was nothing." Ash said modestly. Suddenly, he felt something loom over him. He looked up and screamed.  
  
"No, no, Snorlax, please don't sleep on -!"  
  
BOOM! With a resounding thud Snorlax lay on Ash and dozed off.  
  
"Ouch."  
  
Well? R&R, please.  
  
-- Umbreon  
  
P.S. No flames. I have more than just a Feraligatr. 


End file.
